By Olivia Miwil
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry will pivot its focus toward the domestic market to mitigate uncertainties in the long-haul travel segment.
Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin acknowledged that global conflicts and rising air transport costs could directly impact the state's tourism industry, which relies heavily on international arrivals and air connectivity.
Jafry said the ministry's priority is to ensure the sustainability of the state's tourism supply chain by alleviating pressures on industry players.
"Among the measures is a focus on the domestic market by intensifying campaigns to maintain stability in the event of a decline in international arrivals," he said.
He added that the ministry, through the Sabah Tourism Board, is also targeting markets in China, South Korea, Japan, and regional countries less affected by global airspace disruptions.
"To offset rising travel costs, Sabah is being promoted as a premium destination to attract high-quality tourists with greater spending power who are less sensitive to cost increases,"Jafry said.
The Sukau assemblyman was replying to a question from Justin Wong (Warisan-Sri Tanjong) regarding efforts to mitigate the impact of rising travel costs during the state legislative assembly sitting.
Sabah is targeting four million visitors this year.
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